


Shine

by yeaka



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ficlet, M/M, Nudity, WTF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 05:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18867094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Trying to avoid battling for five seconds, the boys bathe in a river.





	Shine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [star54kar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/star54kar/gifts).



> A/N: Pick-me-up vignette for star54kar’s “something funny involving a magical mishap with Noct and Prom [...] Noct is the "King of Light" so maybe every time he gets "turned on" he starts glowing actual light or something.” prompt. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy XV or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

By now, Prompto’s had enough experience getting naked to know how to do it in the dark. He’s just not _used_ to it. He used to strip down with his bedside lamp on, then squirm into pajamas, _then_ turn off all the lights. For the majority of their road trip, he hasn’t had pajamas, so it’s just been peeling the layers off in well-lit hotel bathrooms. This time, he’s standing in the nearly pitch-black dark, self-consciously pushing down his pants.

His belt buckle hits a pebble, and Gladiolus’ voice hisses from somewhere nearby, “ _Quiet!_ ”

Prompto winces and mumbles, “Sorry...”

“This is ridiculous,” Ignis whispers, sounding half exasperated and half indignant. “We’ll never be able to be completely silent, especially when we can’t see what we’re doing... we should at least find a clearing where we have some starlight...”

“Then we’ll see each other’s willies,” Noctis dryly points out. Prompto can’t help choking back a laugh at his royal highness saying _willies_. It does somewhat help to break the tension, and Prompto’s sure if he could see Noctis’ face, it’d have a grin on it over successfully landing the joke. Ignis must be so disappointed in them.

Ignis tries, “If we could just start a _small_ fire—” 

“If we bring light, the daemons will see it,” Gladio mutters. “That’s why I wouldn’t let you start one at camp. And we’re at our most vulnerable while we’re stripping, so we have to do it where they won’t hear or see us.”

It’s telling that Noctis doesn’t suggest they just kill everything around them. It’s been an exhausting week full of nothing but excruciating battles and getting lost in the wilderness, with no hotel in sight. They’re all exhausted, and they all stink. Something had to give. The four of them continue to quietly peel off their clothes, dropping the remains onto the path they can sort of feel underfoot but not see too well, halfway between their campsite and the river. Prompto’s just doubled over to unlace his boots without touching his bare ass to the dirt floor when he realizes, “Wait, I thought daemons didn’t like the light?”

“ _Shh!_ ” Gladiolus scolds. Then he provides in a hoarse whisper, “That’s _real_ light. Not pinpricks in the dark.”

Noctis butts in, “Speaking of pricks...”

Prompto just barely manages to stop himself from snorting. 

Ignis sighs, “Noct, you know I love a good pun, but there’s a time and a place. And a standard. Can we please try to be mature about this? Now, is everyone suitably naked?”

“This isn’t worth it,” Gladiolus mutters. “I don’t wanna get stuck having to fight naked...”

“You can still whip out your sword,” Noctis points out.

Prompto fails to stop a short laugh ripping out of him. Ignis presses, “ _Noct._ ” Then, presumably to Gladiolus, he continues, “As much as I would also prefer to forgo the entire experience, the smell really is becoming untenable. If we lie down like this, we’ll irreparably stink up our bedrolls, and we can’t afford to buy new ones. Not to mention the embarrassment when we do finally make it into civilization, and if anyone happens to recognize Noct...”

“They’ll be too appalled to come close enough to assassinate me.”

Nobody laughs. Prompto kind of wants to.

Gladiolus grumbles, “Let’s just get going. Our clothes should be safe here; we can collect them on the way back.” There’s no time to comment on having to feel around the black earth to find their things when they’re wet and shivering, because Prompto can hear that Gladiolus is already moving. “Everybody follow me.”

Prompto can barely even see their silhouettes, but a hand presses softly against the middle of his back and guides him forward. He assumes it’s Ignis, because Gladiolus seems to be ahead, and what he thinks is Noctis brushes by his side. He tries not to think too much about Noctis being _naked_ and _right next to him_ , but it’s hard, and he’s ultimately grateful the night is hiding his blush. 

The four of them pick their way down the path in a slow, stumbling group. At least when they find the stream, the trees die out around it, so the stars have more room to poke through the overhanging branches. The water’s barely moving, humming quietly and glittering beautifully. Gladiolus’ hulking shadow slips in first, silent as a mouse. 

When Prompto reaches the water, he dips one toe in, finds it pleasantly cool compared to the warm summer air around him, and carefully climbs in. He can’t see the bottom, but he can feel that it’s all smoothed rocks. He manages to sit down relatively close to the bank, though the water only comes up to his nipples. It gently laps at his chest while he scoops handfuls up to pour over his hair. He’s become fairly immune to the stench of guys sweating over the course of their road trip, but the last few days have become a bit much, even for him. He does his best to remedy that. 

He hears and feels someone sitting down right beside him, within arm’s reach, and he ducks in to whisper, “Noct?”

“Prom?”

“Just checking.”

Noctis nods. Prompto can see that much. A patch of starlight adorns Noctis’ head like a halo, his shoulders faintly glowing but the rest hard to make out. Prompto finds his gaze lingering on Noctis more than necessary, trying to make out the little details of his handsome best friend’s taut chest, but then he makes himself look away and returns to absent-mindedly scrubbing himself with his hands.

After a few awkwardly uneventful seconds, Noctis asks, sounding weirdly tense, “Feels good, right?”

Prompto nods, closing his eyes and feeling the cool water enveloping his heated skin. It’s been too long. He quietly moans, “ _So_ good.” His hands smooth over his chest, dragging water there and letting it all drizzle back down. It occurs to him that they’ll have to do an extra thorough job to really make it count when they don’t have soap. In the spirit of that, he asks Noctis, “Do you need someone to wash your back?”

Noctis splutters, “Uh, that’s... fine...” 

Prompto knows him well enough to tell he’s embarrassed even without the visual. Prompto meant it innocently, but now that he’s gotten a rise out his friend, he can’t help teasing, “You _sure_? Gee, it’s too bad I left my camera at camp; I bet nude shots of the prince would sell _really_ well...”

Noctis’ breath seems to have caught. “You’re naked, too—”

Ignis sharply hisses, “No flirting!”

Noctis huffs, “I wasn’t flirting—”

Prompto jokes, “ _I_ was.” Then something touches Prompto’s leg, probably just a stray fish, but it’s enough to make him cut off a yelp and jump sideways. It knocks him into Noctis, who topples down into the water. Prompto hurriedly tries to pull him back up, hands all over him, and that’s when Prompto realizes the stars aren’t getting brighter. _Noctis_ is.

His skin’s _glowing_. It’s faint, but noticeable. Prompto stares, dumfounded.

Gladio growls, “What happened?”

Ignis sighs, like this happens all the time and he’s truly over it, “Noctis is turned on again.” 

“Damn it, Noct, you had _one_ job!”

Noctis, blushing furiously, insists, “I am not!” But it’s really easy to see that he’s lying, now that his whole face is lit up light a light bulb. 

Gladiolus and Ignis seem to have known this could happen all along, but Prompto’s _shocked_. He knew Noctis was magic, but practical magic, like swords and fireballs, not silly magic, like glowing at close proximity to willies. 

Unable to fully grasp it, Prompto reaches out to cup Noctis’ cheek, turning Noctis towards him and marveling at the light slipping through his fingers. Noctis squawks, “Don’t touch me—!” But it’s too late. His iridescence goes from energy-saving dimmer bulb to candelabra bonfire in a heartbeat. Their whole section of the stream’s lit up like a firecracker. 

A daemon shrieks, and the next thing they know, an Iron Giant’s jumping into the water from the other shore. Prompto barely has any time to register what’s happening. Ignis leaps to his feet, complete in his full birthday-suit glory. Gladiolus swears, “Shit, everybody grab your weapon!”

Noctis meekly quips, “Prompto, grab my sword.”

Somehow, Prompto still finds the wherewithal to snort. 

Ignis yells, “NOCT!” 

And they all fight. Naked.


End file.
